


Is It Too Much To Ask

by orphan_account



Series: lesbians ayyyyyy [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F, Girl Direction, bottom line is they're all girls, girl!Harry, girl!Liam - Freeform, girl!Louis, girl!Niall, girl!Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 21:03:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry hesitates for all of a second. “Um, Louis. Can I maybe get your number?”</p><p>Louis lifts an eyebrow at that and seems to consider her answer for a moment, before she’s patting Harry’s cheek and saying, “Maybe next time, kid.”</p><p>(or in which harry isn't used to getting 'no' as an answer, louis and zayn may or may not be in a relationship, niall likes to make fun of her friends, and liam tries to be supportive.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Is It Too Much To Ask

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote girl direction haha shoot me
> 
> title from 'something great' by one direction

Harry is just starting to feel a bit bored when she sees Louis Tomlinson for the very first time.

The host of tonight’s awards show announces the next artist that’s going to perform, some new duo act that’s just recently released a fairly-successful album, and Harry takes a sip from her soda can that she’s managed to sneak in past security. She very nearly spits her mouthful at Niall, though, when all the lights turn to the stage and a short but undeniably curvy woman—dressed in a fitted black t-shirt underneath a leather jacket paired with ripped skinny jeans—begins strumming on a guitar without any warning.

The other girl onstage starts singing, but Harry’s attention is on the guitarist entirely. Her eyes take in the somewhat pixie-like features of the girl, all crinkly blue eyes and button nose and defined cheekbones and shoulder-length hair the color of caramel, and Harry is so, so thankful that her group got to sit by the very front row or else she would’ve missed all these details.

She continues to stare as the girl now moves across the stage, continuing to strum on the guitar without missing a beat. There’s a wide grin on her face and she’s bouncing slightly on her feet as her fingers pluck at the strings, and Harry needs to do some serious googling tonight.

“I know that look,” a voice says beside her, Irish accent thick. Harry turns her head for a moment and meets Niall’s knowing blue gaze.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says, even as her eyes go back to the stage. “Who is she, though?”

She hears Niall’s loud bark of laughter, fortunately drowned out to everyone else by the loud live music blasting through the speakers surrounding the stadium. “That’s Louis Tomlinson—at least, that’s what I think her name is. She’s the one who usually plays the instruments in Towerline—that’s the name of their two-person act, by the way.”

“Why have I never seen her before?” Harry asks, turning her head once more to look at Niall with slightly wide eyes.

The blond has an amused grin on her face, showing off her teeth. Harry just knows she’s going to get so much shit from her later on, but right now she doesn’t care. “Them, Harry. _Them._ They’re a duo. Jesus, mate, calm down.” She pats Harry on the head, half-fond and half-mocking. “And you probably don’t know them because they’re just kinda new to the music scene? And they’re not exactly a pop act, so.”

Harry nods once, and then she faces the stage again. The girl—Louis Tomlinson, apparently—is now sauntering up to the other end of the stage, swinging her hips slightly, and Harry stares at her arse. Louis stops just as she reaches the one singing and turns around, the vocalist doing the same. The two onstage lean against each other, and the vocalist reaches up to pinch Louis’ cheek without missing a beat. Harry feels a frown forming on her face, and it only deepens once the vocalist turns to face Louis and Harry sees that she’s also gorgeous, all long dark hair and olive skin.

Louis struts back to center stage and bends a bit in half as her fingers almost fly across the strings of her guitar, and Harry continues to openly stare. Her mouth is probably open a little, because she can faintly hear Liam’s concerned voice asking her if she’s okay from Niall’s other side.

Eventually, the duo onstage finishes their performance, and Harry is leaping to her feet, clapping wildly. Several other people are standing up to applaud as well, and Louis throws an arm around the vocalist’s shoulders, bowing. Harry is still clapping when Louis lifts her head and scans the crowd, and before Harry can stop herself, she winks at the girl onstage once their eyes meet.

She’s not sure whether Louis raising her eyebrows in response is just a product of her imagination or not.

-

Unsurprisingly, One Direction wins all four awards they’re nominated for, and Harry even wins two separate solo awards. She’s expected it, really.

What surprises her, though, is Towerline winning the two awards they’re nominated for—Best Alternative Duo and Breakout Act. Louis looks like she’s not expecting it either, her partner having to force her up the stage with a laugh. She takes the awards and blinks, before she’s laughing as well, face bright. Her partner gives her a fond look before leaning into the microphone and thanking the crowd, the fans, and their families, and then Louis is also giving a speech of her own. Her voice is high and bright and so full of life, and Harry wants to talk to her so badly.

Good thing there’s an after-party.

-

Harry spots Louis Tomlinson standing by the table filled with various drinks and immediately asks Niall whether she looks okay. Niall answers by loudly laughing at her, before turning around to look for food. Harry turns to Liam for reassurance then, a small frown on her face.

“You look fine, Harry,” Liam says, one of her thick eyebrows raised slightly.

Harry lets out a breath at that. The thing is, she knows she looks hot. She’s wearing a short green dress that shows off her smooth and endless legs, and her hair is artfully messed up, falling down to her chest in great waves. But even so, it’s been a long night and the venue had been a bit hot, so she’s not sure whether she still looks as great as she did earlier.

Liam thinks she looks fine, though, and Harry trusts the older girl’s judgment more than she does Niall’s. So with Liam’s reassurance, Harry takes a deep breath and heads for the drinks table. Louis is still standing there, seeming to be contemplating which of the drinks to take, and Harry plasters on her most charming smile that’s just slightly cheeky. She steps beside Louis, taking note of the difference in their heights—she’s taller by about a head, and Harry guesses that even without her heels on she’ll still be taller—before asking, “Need some help?”

Louis jumps a little before turning. Harry realizes that the other girl has taken off her leather jacket, and Harry sees a scatter of tattoos littering Louis’ right arm. There’s a slightly cautious look in Louis’ eyes as she says, “Not really, no?”

Harry steps a little closer so there’s only about a foot’s worth of space between them. “You seem like you can’t decide on what to drink.”

Louis shrugs, and Harry notices her subtly stepping away a little. That just won’t do, Harry thinks. “I don’t know what any of these fancy drinks are, to be honest. They’re all colorful and shit, not really my kind of drink.”

“Oh? What is your kind of drink, then?” Harry asks, stepping a bit closer again and ignoring the way Louis seems to frown at their proximity. She’s determined to charm Louis and get her number by the end of the night, and she’s not going to let anything—even Louis’ apparent disinterest—get in the way of that.

“Something plain and strong,” Louis answers after a while, and then she lifts an eyebrow at Harry. “Look, not to be rude, but is there anything you want from me?”

Harry ignores the question, instead moving to grab a drink of her own. It’s pink and smells a bit fruity, and she sips at it slowly while keeping eye contact with Louis. She licks the remaining moisture off of her lower lip slowly—she’s aiming for seductive—before smirking, leaning forward and letting her face hover in front of Louis’. “You don’t like sweet things, then?”

Louis crinkles her nose and frowns. “No, I don’t.”

“Well then,” Harry begins, setting the drink down and closing the distance between them even more so she can whisper in Louis’ ear, “Let me change your mind.”

Suddenly, there’s a different voice calling Louis’ name. Frowning, Harry pulls away and sees the vocalist from earlier looking at them curiously. She looks even more gorgeous up close, Harry thinks, long dark lashes framing deep brown eyes, lips set in a pout, and sharp features that can probably cut diamonds. She’s also wearing a black leather jacket—it was the same one Louis was wearing onstage earlier, Harry realizes—on top of a maroon turtleneck along with short black shorts, and she should really look ridiculous in her get-up but the only thing Harry can think of to describe her is “supermodel.”

“Zayn,” Louis says, stepping away from Harry. Harry refuses to acknowledge the somewhat relieved look on Louis’ face as she moves closer to the vocalist—Zayn, apparently. Harry watches as she leans forward and presses a quick kiss against the corner of Zayn’s mouth, arm going around the slightly taller girl’s waist—which makes Harry frown a little more—before she turns back to look at Harry. “I was just talking to, er—”

“Harry Styles?” Zayn supplies, and Louis looks at Harry for confirmation.

Harry stops herself from frowning even more—Louis doesn’t know who she is?—and instead smiles a little too widely at Zayn. “Yeah, I’m Harry Styles. Of One Direction?”

“Oh, that pop girl band,” Louis says, a bit offhandedly. “I’m Louis Tomlinson, and this is Zayn Malik—we’re basically Towerline.”

Zayn politely extends a hand and Harry shakes it after a moment’s hesitation. “Nice to meet you,” Zayn says, smiling, and Harry smiles a little in return. She can’t help but let her gaze obviously drift down to where Louis’ fingers are digging slightly into Zayn’s waist, however, but no one says anything about it. “So what were you two talking about?”

“Harry here was just asking me whether I liked sweet things,” Louis tells Zayn, resting her head against the slightly taller girl’s shoulders. “Told her no.”

Zayn laughs at that, one hand coming up to ruffle Louis’ hair, and Harry feels a bit out of her element. She can tell that there’s something going on between Louis and Zayn—or maybe they’re just really close friends—and that Louis isn’t interested in her at the moment. Which is just—Harry has no idea what to do. She’s never been turned down before, ever, even before she became a popstar, and it kinda stings.

Fortunately, that’s when Liam and Niall come over, the blond clutching onto the sleeve of Liam’s red dress. There’s a stain on Niall’s light blue top—she’s refused to wear a dress for tonight, and their stylists had to practically force her into a two-piece formal suit of sorts because _no, Niall, you can’t go to an awards show in a hoodie and sweats_ —and she’s whining at Liam, telling her that she doesn’t want to head back yet.

“Harry, we have to go,” Liam says, looking a bit distressed, a furrow in between her brows. It takes her a moment to notice the other two with Harry, and when she does she blinks a couple of times before quickly introducing herself. “Oh, how rude of me! Sorry. My name’s Liam Payne.” She extends a hand at Louis and Zayn.

Harry catches Zayn do a double take at Liam, and it makes her feel slightly better because that’s got to be a sign that Zayn and Louis aren’t exclusive. She wiggles out of Louis’ grip and accepts Liam’s handshake, smiling a wide and pretty smile that makes Liam blush lightly. “I’m Zayn Malik, one-half of Towerline, and this is my partner, Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis does a little salute and Liam smiles politely at her, dropping Zayn’s hand. It’s then that Niall lets go of Liam’s sleeve and loudly introduces herself. “I’m Niall Horan and I’ve stained my blouse!”

That manages to get a bark of laughter out of Louis, and Harry feels irrationally jealous of her friend. It quickly fades though when she sees Louis’ eyes crinkling even more, nose scrunching adorably, the corners of her lips pulling up into a smile. “We can see that, mate.”

Niall nods, face serious. “Swift bumped into me and made me spill my drink. And she didn’t even apologize, just laughed it off like it was nothing! I’ll show her, that—”

It’s then that Liam claps a hand over Niall’s mouth, cutting her friend off. She looks around frantically, trying to see whether anyone’s heard. Fortunately, most people are too busy talking amongst themselves to pay them any attention, and she sighs and lets her hand drop. “See why we have to leave?”

Harry nods a bit sadly. She doesn’t really want to give up on Louis, to be honest, but it seems that tonight’s not her lucky night. She just tells herself that she’ll probably get another chance some other time, another chance to make a better impression. Hopefully. There are a lot of other award nights and musical events to come, anyway, and if those don’t work then Harry can always try coming to one of Towerline’s gigs. She’ll just look a schedule up online.

“There are paps waiting outside and they’re going to see this stain and then they’re going to make up a story about how One Direction had to leave early because I couldn’t control my Irish nature and started a brawl,” Niall tells them, slurring just slightly, and Harry winces. It’s true, is the thing—the papers have written a lot of mean things about Niall, some of them even more exaggerated and ridiculous than what Niall’s just said. Harry doesn’t really know why, but the blond always gets the most shit out of the three of them, which is just so not fair because Niall may be loud and boisterous most of the time, but she’s also funny and sweet and caring, in her own way.

Liam looks like she’s thinking of a solution to this problem when Zayn says, “Here,” taking off her leather jacket and putting it on Niall.

The blond blinks at the actions, and it seems like some of the alcohol she’s consumed from earlier clears from her mind as she stares at Zayn’s face. “Uh, thanks.”

“No problem, mate,” Zayn says with a smile, patting Niall’s cheek. It flushes red under her touch.

“How am I going to return this, though?” the blond asks, looking a bit eager at the prospect of seeing Zayn again.

The dark-haired girl just absently waves a hand in response, as if to say ‘it’s fine.’ Louis, on the other hand, throws an arm around the Zayn’s shoulders and says, “Nah, keep it, mate. Don’t worry about it.”

That irrational jealousy is back again, but before Harry can do anything about it Liam is saying goodbye to Louis and Zayn, apologizing profusely for cutting their conversation short. The two merely wave off Liam’s concerns with a friendly grin, and then Liam is tugging Niall towards the exit, trusting that Harry will go and follow them.

Harry hesitates for all of a second. “Um, Louis. Can I maybe get your number?”

Louis lifts an eyebrow at that and seems to consider her answer for a moment, before she’s patting Harry’s cheek and saying, “Maybe next time, kid.”

-

Harry does a bit of serious googling that night. She finds out that Louis is originally from Doncaster, that she’s twenty-four years old—five years older than Harry, herself—and that she graduated uni with a degree in Drama. She officially formed Towerline when she was in her second year of uni, around four years ago, and they started by doing YouTube covers. It isn’t until two years after, though, that they managed to get the attention of some people in the music industry. They then opened shows for people like The Script and Ed Sheeran for a little over a year, after which they’ve released their first official single, followed by their album four months later.

They have a few music videos out, and Harry watches them all. It’s quite different from the music videos Harry’s been in, but that’s probably because they have different genres of music. In Towerline’s music videos, there are other people featured along with Louis and Zayn, serving as actors of sorts, and it almost feels like Harry’s watching a short movie. It seems like each song has its own story, and Harry is fascinated by the way Louis can transform herself into someone else, even with just a few shots. Zayn, on the other hand, is mostly shown singing or staring off into the distance intensely, and Harry is kinda becoming a fan already.

Next, Harry specifically searches for ‘Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.’ The results that pop up are just a few speculations about the two from their fans, one or two articles, and quite a number of random photos that the two have posted from their joint Instagram account. She does find out, however, that the two have met at university when they moved into their shared dorm room, and have been best friends ever since. Zayn is apparently a graduate of Literature, and she originally lived in Bradford. She’s younger than Louis by a year, but they graduated at the same time because of the gap year Louis took before heading off to uni. As for their relationship, the two have neither denied nor confirmed anything—at least that’s what Tumblr is saying—but Harry does find out that both of them are bi.

After that, Harry decides to go on Twitter and look at their accounts. She follows Louis and tweets, _@Louis_Tomlinson it was nice meeting you, lets talk again sometime xx_ , and after a moment’s consideration she also follows Zayn.

Ten minutes later, she gets a follow back and a reply that simply says, _@Harry_Styles maybe_.

-

Little Mix invites them to watch a concert the group is having in London, and since One Direction doesn’t really have anything major scheduled till next month they all agree to go. Besides, they’re all good friends with the girls anyway, and Harry needs to get some advice from other people because Niall and Liam aren’t really helping.

The two have found out, of course, about her little crush on Louis and have been less than helpful about it. Niall just keeps on either cooing at her or laughing at her, while Liam goes from being supportive to being worried like the mother that she is. That’s why when One Direction arrives at the concert venue, Harry dressed comfortably in skinny jeans and an oversized gray sweater with her hair stuffed up underneath an orange beanie, she’s more than ready to seek out any of Little Mix’s advice.

She ends up talking to Jesy backstage, while Niall tries to dance with Jade and Leigh-Anne—because even though One Direction’s a girl band as well, they can’t dance for shit—and Liam talks to Perrie about tour stuff.

“Who is this hypothetical someone, if it’s okay to ask?” Jesy asks, tilting her head to one side. Harry has been explaining her situation for the last three minutes, but she’s avoided using pronouns or mentioning any names, even going for the ‘hypothetically speaking’ approach.

“Well,” Harry begins, grinning a little shyly. “Ever heard of Towerline?”

Jesy looks surprised at this. “Yeah. I even know them, actually. Perrie and Jade are friends with them, introduced us to each other a few times before.” She pauses for a moment, blinks once. “We’ve invited them tonight, too.”

Harry blinks at that. “Louis’ going to be here?”

“Yeah, they both will be,” Jesy says, and then realization dawns on her face. She gives Harry a wide-eyed look and says, “Oh, Louis Tomlinson’s this someone?”

Harry nods, a bit sheepish. “Uh, yes.”

Jesy claps her hands once and grins. “Well, lucky for you she’s still single.”

At that, Harry brightens up. “Really? Zayn and her aren’t a thing?”

“Uh, no, as far as I know. I mean, last time we saw each other Perrie asked them whether there was anything going on, and Louis told her that there was nothing between her and Zayn.” Jesy then lowers her voice a little, leans closer towards Harry. “I think Perrie has a thing for Zayn, you see.”

“That’s great!” Harry exclaims, clapping a hand over her mouth when she sees the other girls turn to look at her in question. She lowers her hand and grins at them apologetically, and once they all turn back to what they were doing before Harry’s sudden outburst, Harry whispers to Jesy, “The whole Louis being single thing, I mean. That’s what’s great. Um, what should I do then?”

Jesy looks slightly amused. “Have you really never been turned down before, love?” At Harry’s head-shake, she continues, “Just try again, I guess? That’s the only thing I can think of right now. And don’t be too forward. Why don’t you try being friends first?”

Harry opens her mouth to say something more to that, but it’s then that someone calls out, “Five minutes till the show starts!” and then everyone is bustling about, getting ready.

-

Ten minutes into the show, Towerline arrives and sits down on the chairs set up somewhere off to the side of the stage, just beside One Direction. Harry immediately seeks out Louis and she gasps quietly once her eyes land on the older girl.

Louis’ got her hair pulled up into a high ponytail, and she’s wearing a loose gray Marvel t-shirt and knee-length shorts. Harry thinks she still looks as beautiful as the first time she saw her. Zayn is there as well, wearing a simple black dress with her hair piled up into a messy bun on top of her head, and she still looks like a supermodel.

Harry taps Liam’s shoulder and whisper-asks her to exchange seats, and Liam agrees with a sigh. After a bit of shuffling, Harry ends up sitting beside Louis. The girls onstage are just singing about saluting all the women in the world when Harry pokes Louis’ arm, and once the older girl turns to her she smiles widely.

“Hi.”

Louis blinks a couple of times, and then her gaze is sweeping up and down Harry’s face. “Harry?”

“Yeah,” Harry says, nodding. She bites her lower lip, Louis’ eyes still trained on her face. “You remember me.”

“Of course I do,” Louis says. After a moment’s hesitation, she reaches out a hand and tugs on one of the stray curls peeking out from underneath Harry’s beanie. “You look different.”

“No make-up,” Harry says, and she’s having a bit of trouble thinking because Louis’ fingers are brushing against her hair and her face—which is just ridiculous, because Harry’s flirted with a whole lot of other people before and she’s never been like this. There’s just probably something about Louis Tomlinson, she guesses. “Why? S’it weird?”

Louis shakes her head. “No. Just—you look younger, I guess. More your age.”

“And how do you know my age?” Harry asks, managing a grin, and she mentally gives herself a high-five for the cheeky remark.

Louis looks a little embarrassed now, but she grins a little at Harry in return. “Looked your band up a bit. Might’ve listened to a few songs.”

“Same,” Harry says before she can stop herself. “Um, I bought your album, by the way. I love _Through the Dark_ and every single one of your songs, to be honest.” She bites on her lower lip again to stop herself from saying anything more, afraid that she’s going to embarrass herself. She’s not really sure whether this counts as too direct or not, but oh well.

“Thanks, I guess?” Louis says, and then she’s laughing a little. Harry feels a shiver run down her spine at the sound of it. “Your music isn’t really my thing, but I guess a few of your songs are okay.”

“Like?” Harry asks, not wanting the conversation to end just yet. She knows that it’s a bit rude because they’re supposed to be watching their friends perform onstage, but Harry can’t help herself right at the moment. She leans forward and grins eagerly, enough to show the dimple on her left cheek.

“Um, _Better Than Words_ and _Alive_.” Louis then smirks a little and pokes at Harry’s dimple with a dainty, golden finger. “Don’t get too eager, kid. I’m still not giving you my number.”

Harry doesn’t manage to hide her pout, even as she childishly says, “I’m not even asking for it.”

Louis just pats her cheek again, smirk widening, before she turns her head back towards the stage where Little Mix is telling the crowd that they’re beautiful and wonderful and that they can be anything they want to be. Harry sighs a little and slumps back against her own seat, but she can feel a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

-

They begin tweeting after that, and Harry thinks it’s definitely better than not having any means of communication at all because she still doesn’t have Louis’ number.

Of course, she can always ask Niall or Liam for it—because apparently the two of them have somehow become good friends with Zayn, and they can always ask Zayn for Louis’ number—but that doesn’t feel right, somehow. Harry thinks that this must be some sort of game, one that she doesn’t know the rules of just yet, but she’s all too eager to play as long as it’s with Louis.

-

_@Harry_Styles: @Louis_Tomlinson when’s your next gig? xx_

_@Louis_Tomlinson: @Harry_Styles friday . gonna be there ?_

_@Harry_Styles: @Louis_Tomlinson of course ;) xx_

_@Louis_Tomlinson: @Harry_Styles cool . :)_

-

The speculations start about a month later.

Louis and Harry have never gone out together, but their Twitter interaction is enough to spark the interest of not only fans, but quite a few other people in the media as well. So far none of the people from One Direction’s management team have talked to Harry about it yet, and whenever Harry gets asked by fans or paparazzi or even a few interviewers, all she says is “I just happen to be a really big fan of theirs!”

Which isn’t a lie, to be honest. Over the past few weeks Harry’s been listening nonstop to Towerline’s album and covers, and she’s even found their old YouTube channel and watched some of the very first covers the duo has made when they were just starting out inside their dorm room. The thing is, they sound really good—even though Zayn mostly sings everything, Louis does back-up and second-voicing, and sometimes she even gets a line or two of her own. Harry tries not to be too disappointed by this, because from what she’s heard so far Louis has a really good voice—high-pitched and slightly raspy around the edges—and she really wants to hear the older girl sing more, but it’s not really her place to tell any of the two girls what to do. Either way, Harry thinks Towerline is a really great addition to the musical world, and if she’s going to be honest she wants to maybe try their sound for their next album, maybe even ask them for a collaboration.

And speaking of their next album, writing begins in two days. Harry’s writing down ideas for a few songs, her headphones blasting _Through the Dark_ into her ears—it’s become her favorite song out of Towerline’s entire album, possibly her favorite song ever at the moment—when Liam knocks on her door. Pausing from where she’s writing down _so i don’t have to keep imagining_ on a messy page of her notebook, she looks up and lifts an eyebrow in question as Liam steps inside and takes a seat on the edge of her bed.

“You done writing?” Liam asks, and Harry takes her headphones off before handing her notebook to Liam. The older girl takes it and reads over the lines Harry has managed to scribble onto the page in her loopy handwriting, and Harry sees her thick eyebrows shoot up as she reads over the page. “ _I want you here with me like how I pictured it_?”

Harry bites on her lower lip. “Do you not like it?”

Liam shakes her head quickly in response, her eyes widening a little. “No, it’s not that I don’t like it. It seems really interesting, to be honest, but just—it just sounds a bit different, I guess? The lyrics, I mean. What kind of tune are you planning for this?”

“Um, that’s where I need some help, really,” Harry admits, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. “I don’t think I want it to be, like, something fast and upbeat. Like, if we can talk to our songwriters and producers maybe I can ask them to come up with something slower than what we usually do?”

“Kinda like _Story of My Life_?” Liam asks.

“Yeah, but, uh, the guitars should sound different.” Harry waves her hands around in the air a little, probably trying to express her ideas through body actions alone. It doesn’t work, of course, because Liam isn’t psychic nor is she an expert in body language, so Harry tries again. “But, um, I want the guitars to still be heard along with the other instruments? I don’t want it to be, like, something that sounds very studio-y. I want to have more of an acoustic feel to the sound, something that’s not really all pop.” She drops her hands back and rolls over so she’s lying on her back, her curly hair spread out onto the white sheets. “I’m not any making sense, am I?”

“No, I mean,” Liam begins, putting her notebook down and smiling at Harry. “I’m sure the writers will be able to understand what you want to happen with this song.”

At that, Harry lets out a small sigh. “Yeah, hopefully.”

A few seconds of silence pass by, before Liam asks, voice slow and a little careful, “So, um. Any reason why you came up with these lyrics?”

Harry closes her eyes and ignores how she can feel Liam staring at her, as though the older girl already knows the answer and is only looking for a confirmation. “I don’t really know, but—Louis, I guess?”

She feels the bed dip further, Liam probably shuffling closer to her, and then there are fingers carding through her scalp. She leans into the comforting touch and smiles a little, feeling a bit warm. A few more moments of silence pass before Liam quietly asks, “So you really like her?”

Harry hums and thinks about it. She finds that she doesn’t really have to think about it for too long. “Yeah, I guess. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

This time, it’s Liam who hums in response. Another pause falls over them, before Liam asks, “Wanna see my song ideas? I’m thinking of writing something about home, like ‘don’t forget where you belong’ or something like that.”

Harry smiles and opens her eyes, nods. “Sure. Let me see what you’ve got so far, Mum.”

-

Two weeks later, Harry finds herself sitting on one of the benches by the park near their flat, notebook open on her lap. She’s got a beanie pulled over her curls and her earphones on, so it takes her a few moments to realize that someone’s clearing their throat above her, trying to get her attention. Pulling one of her earphones out, she looks up slowly, hoping that it’s not a fan—because as much as she loves them and the attention, she’s in the middle of doing work—and her eyes widen a little when she sees that it’s none other than Louis.

“Hey stranger, do you mind a bit of company?” Louis asks, grinning a little.

Harry pulls her music player out and pauses it, before she stuffs it back into her bag and grins widely at Louis. “Louis! What are you doing here?”

Louis shrugs and sits beside Harry, and the younger girl has to bite on her lower lip to keep herself from giggling. “Was just walking around, trying to kill time. Zayn kicked me out of our flat because she wants to clean stuff and I would just get in the way, so.” She shrugs again and glances at the notebook on Harry’s lap. “What’s that for?”

Harry blinks and looks down at the page filled with crossed-out lines. “Uh, song lyrics. For our next album?”

“Wow, Styles, you actually write your own songs! I’m impressed!” Harry frowns a little at that, feeling a bit offended, but when she looks up she sees that Louis’ grin is only teasing. The older girl reaches out and pokes Harry’s left cheek, right where her dimple would be, and Harry feels herself blushing. “Don’t frown, Harry. I’m only kidding, I know you and your girls contribute a lot in the songwriting process.”

Harry probably only blushes harder at that. “Uh, yeah. I’m having a bit of trouble with this one, though. Like, we’ve already established a tune but the lyrics of the second verse just don’t sit right with me?”

“Maybe I can help,” Louis offers, and without waiting for a reply she takes the notebook from Harry. Harry watches as Louis’ blue eyes scan over the page, and she also takes the opportunity to examine Louis’ features up close. The few times they’ve seen each other, it had always been a bit dark. But now, in broad daylight, Harry realizes that Louis looks even more beautiful than she originally thought—kinda breathtaking, really. Harry can probably write countless songs about ocean eyes and sun-kissed collarbones and delicate cheekbones, lyrics going on and on about inked skin and feathery hair and bright voices, just by looking at her. After a while, Louis glances back at Harry, one corner of her lips pulled up slightly. “Give me your pen.”

And Harry hands it over without any hesitation, is the thing.

“So what have you got here so far, Harry?” Louis asks, tapping the end of the pen against her lower lip. She doesn’t really wait for a reply before she’s scribbling something onto the page, a small furrow between her brows.

Harry answers anyway. “The first verse is basically done, along with the chorus, mainly. But, uh, I can’t find the right words for the second one?”

“Hmm. Mind singing the first verse to me?”

Blushing a little—which is just one of the many things that Harry’s experiencing for the first time with Louis, because she’s never been this flustered and self-conscious around anyone before—Harry nods a little, taking in a deep breath. She begins singing softly, keeping her gaze trained anywhere but Louis’ face. There’s just something about the older girl that makes her nervous, makes her slightly unsure. It’s as exciting as it is nerve-wracking, if Harry’s going to be honest.

Once she’s done, she looks up and takes in Louis’ reaction. There’s something unreadable in the older girl’s eyes, and Harry really has no clue how to interpret that look. After a few beats, Louis finally allows a smile and she shifts just that tiny bit closer to Harry on the bench—at least, Harry hopes she’s not just imagining the older girl’s closer proximity. “Not bad, kid. Any particular inspiration for this song, though?”

Harry averts her gaze and feels her face heating up a little. “Uh, not really. Just—I don’t know, felt like writing something a little different.”

“Hmm,” Louis hums, and then this time she does lean closer, pressing her shoulder against Harry’s. “What’s the matter with the second verse, then?”

Harry shrugs, trying to keep her cool. “I don’t know, to be honest. But like, I’m kinda frustrated with it. I kinda want to rip that page off and start all over again.”

Louis doesn’t answer. Harry waits a few more seconds, but when no response arrives she turns her head and sees that Louis is writing something down. She waits for the older girl to finish, and with a final stroke of the pen Louis grins, nodding once. She hands the notebook and pen back to Harry without a word, and Harry looks down at what the older girl has written.

_the script was written and i could not change a thing, i want to rip it all to shreds and start again_

“Uh,” Harry begins saying, but then Louis is suddenly standing up from the bench.

She sends Harry a quick smile before saying, “I’m genuinely looking forward to your next album, Harry. See you around.” And then she’s walking off without even waiting for a reply, leaving Harry on the bench.

The younger girl stares after her, dumbfounded and more than just a little bit disappointed.

That is, until she looks down at the notebook once more and sees a series of digits scrawled hastily across the bottom of the page, along with Louis’ signature and a smiley face.

-

Harry texts, _hiiiiii thanks for the help the other day, wanna maybe go out for some coffee? as a thank you? xx_

Louis replies, _i fucking hate coffee_ , but immediately follows with _but i’ll take you up on tea or maybe even pizza :)_.

It becomes a thing.

-

By the second month, One Direction has managed to finish five songs. Liam pushed on with her ideas and ended up with _Don’t Forget Where You Belong_ and _Right Now_ , Niall came up with _Midnight Memories_ and _Little White Lies_ , and Harry has managed to write _Something Great_. During recording, Niall teases Harry mercilessly, especially when she sings the chorus, and Liam just fondly shakes her head at the two. Harry merely rolls her eyes at Niall, but internally she’s kinda panicking a little because wow, she managed to write a song because of Louis. She doesn’t want to think that it’s _for_ Louis, because this is just probably a dumb crush that’ll go away eventually and nothing more.

A part of her knows, though, that it’s more than that.

During the last couple of weeks, Louis and her have been texting a lot. She can’t really tell whether Louis just wants to be friends with her, is just waiting for the right time, or—god forbid—is just taking pity on her because she’s a kid who’s obviously never faced rejection before. She certainly hopes it’s the second one and not the third one, but if ever it’s neither of those two then Harry will probably just have to learn to be content with being friends.

But the thing is, it’s hard. Louis and her have gone out a few times—six, Harry’s counted, mostly to small diners and restaurants—and sometimes they’ll just hang out in each other’s flats when they’re not too busy—which has happened a total of nine times. Five out of those nine times, though, the other girls have been with them, and so Harry has never really clarified with Louis what they are, exactly. They don’t kiss or even touch, even though Harry wants to so, so badly. It kinda sucks, to be honest, being close but not close enough and not knowing what the boundaries are.

That’s why the day after they’ve been given the sample recordings of the songs they’ve finished so far, Harry comes up with an idea.

She’s going to get things straight with Louis, and she’s going to do it now.

-

Making sure that no one’s following her, Harry climbs the steps that lead to Louis and Zayn’s flat. She’s clutching a sample CD in hand, her palms slightly clammy as she reaches the door to the flat. Before she can change her mind and back out, she lifts her fist and raps on the door a few times.

She gets no answer.

Frowning, Harry tries again, knocking on the door a little louder and calling out ‘hello.’ She waits a few more seconds, and when the door still doesn’t open she decides to press her ear against the wood. There are sounds coming from inside the flat, slightly dulled by the walls and the door. It’s probably the telly, Harry guesses, and when she reaches down for the doorknob and twists, she finds that it’s unlocked.

Slightly cautious, she pushes the door open and steps inside. She can definitely hear the sounds coming from the open telly in the living room, along with what sounds like hushed whispers and rustling. Curious now, Harry walks down the hallway and turns into the living room, and promptly freezes on the spot once she sees Louis and Zayn on the couch.

More specifically, Louis and Zayn making out on the couch.

Zayn is sprawled on her back, legs spread slightly to accommodate Louis in between them. Her dark hair is fanned out around her head, eyes shut tight as one of her hands find their way towards the back of Louis’ neck. Her other hand is clutching on the hem of Louis’ shirt, fingertips dancing along the sliver of golden skin along Louis’ flat stomach. Louis, on the other hand, is hovering above Zayn with one of her elbows supporting her weight. Her caramel fringe is falling in front of her eyes, her right hand underneath Zayn’s shirt, lifting it up further and exposing stretches of olive skin.

Neither of the two has noticed Harry’s presence yet, and Harry just stands there, gaping. For one bizarre moment Harry gets struck with the thought that the two girls look beautiful together like that, lips sliding slickly together and hands roaming skin—and it’s just crazy, because they look undeniably hot, yes, but _beautiful_? Harry kinda wants to slap herself, if only she can remember how to move.

The thought disappears as quickly as it comes, though, and Harry is left standing there feeling betrayed and cheated and, and—and just _mad_. She tries to reason with herself that she and Louis aren’t dating, and that she’s guessed all along that Louis and Zayn have a thing going on from the start, but that doesn’t stop the angry tears from forming in her eyes because this can only mean that all this time— _all this time_ —Louis has just been leading her along like a lost puppy. Like a stupid, stupid puppy.

And that puppy only ends up getting led into the middle of the street, about to be hit by a truck.

That’s probably an accurate representation of how Harry feels right now. Probably.

Harry just wants to turn around and leave, forget this ever happened, but her feet won’t listen to her. They keep her there, and even her eyes won’t obey her orders of looking away. She just watches through her now blurry vision the way Louis pulls her tongue out of Zayn’s mouth, only to trail kisses down the younger girl’s jaw; the way her dainty fingertips move lower until they reach the zipper of Zayn’s jeans; the way Zayn gasps prettily and turns her head, allowing Louis’ mouth more access to her neck and jaw; the way Zayn’s brown eyes flutter open, slightly dazed, before they land on Harry standing by the doorway.

Harry continues to watch as Zayn gasps in surprise and hurriedly pushes at Louis’ chest, causing the older girl to tumble down onto the floor. Zayn scrambles upright, pulling her shirt down and blinking several times at Harry.

“Harry!” she exclaims, sounding breathless. At this, Louis finally looks up from her place on the floor and sees Harry standing there, and Harry thinks that’s guilt that flashes across the oldest girl’s face.

“Harry, uh, Harry,” Louis says, getting up from the floor and walking towards Harry. She stops once she’s a few feet away, however, looking—for the very first time since Harry’s met her—unsure. “Uh, what are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“Door was unlocked,” Harry says, and god, her voice is trembling. She knows that a few tears have escaped from her eyes now, but she doesn’t make a move to wipe them, doesn’t even acknowledge them. “Sorry for interrupting, I’m just going to leave now.”

“Wait, don’t, I can expl—”

But Harry doesn’t let Louis finish, because finally— _finally_ —her feet listen to her, and she’s walking away. She gets to the door and forcefully pulls it open, slamming it shut afterwards. It’s probably not as hard as she would’ve wanted because her hands are trembling, and god, she’s so stupid.

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

-

It’s not until she gets home that she realizes she’s dropped the CD somewhere.

-

She ignores Louis’ texts and calls. She doesn’t tell anyone about what’s happened, not even Liam or Niall, just locked herself inside her room once she got back. She calls in sick and the producers allow her a week off.

It’s just—it’s stupid, is what it is. She’s perfectly aware that Louis never told her that this—this _thing_ , whatever it is, between them will ever progress into anything more. But a part of her just knows that she’s made her intentions with Louis clear, and Louis seemed to have understood that. If Louis were a decent person, she would’ve just directly told Harry that she’s not interested. That would’ve been definitely better than Harry walking in on Louis and Zayn. Anything would’ve been better than that, better than feeling like you’ve been slapped across the face.

And here’s the other thing: Harry just knows that she has no chance against Zayn. She isn’t planning on fighting the older girl over Louis because even she knows when to stop, but if she ever did decide to chase after Louis, Harry knows that she won’t win. She’s just a child, after all. Sure, she’s a teenage sensation, wanted by boys and idolized by girls all over the world, but it’s clear that Louis doesn’t like that. And compared to Zayn—Zayn who’s gorgeous and mature-looking and far more experienced and just perfect—Harry doesn’t even stand a fighting chance.

And that just makes Harry angry.

Angry at Zayn, for being in the way, for being more desirable, and for being the one Louis wants.

Angry at Louis for leading her on and for getting her hopes up, only to crush it in front of Harry with a mocking pat on the cheek.

And angry at herself, for being naïve enough to believe that there’s actually a chance with Louis.

And because she’s really stupid, she puts her earphones in and plays _Through the Dark_ and cries.

-

It’s on a Friday when Niall knocks on her door softly—which isn’t like Niall at all, because the blond is never soft, always loud, loud, _loud_. Harry looks up from where she’s scribbling onto her notebook, _now i see your heart’s been taken_ , and pulls one of her earphones out. Her eyes are probably still a little bloodshot because Niall’s blue gaze is concerned-looking, and that’s a great indicator that Harry’s really way too deep in this because Niall never worries—at least, not outright.

“You okay there, mate?” Niall asks, but she doesn’t make a move of stepping inside Harry’s room just yet.

Harry sighs and pulls her other earphone out, dropping her pen down and rolling over onto her back. She spreads her arms beside her and closes her eyes, tries to think of something else other than feathery fringe and blue eyes. “I guess—I’m not really sure.”

“Well, okay then. Uh.” She waits for Niall to finish speaking without opening her eyes, counting the seconds that it takes for the blond to continue what she’ saying. Harry reaches eleven in her head when she hears Niall finally say, “Someone’s here to see you.” And then the sounds of someone’s footsteps, before the door closes.

Harry slowly lifts her eyelids and turns her head.

Louis is standing there.

Harry blinks quickly a couple of times, and then she’s shooting up into a sitting position. Louis just looks at her for a moment, face a mixture of guilt and uncertainty. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun, as though she can’t be bothered to fix it, and she’s wearing a loose black t-shirt that says _Love will tear us apart_. Harry wants to slap herself across the face for thinking that the older girl still looks gorgeous.

Finally, after a few seconds of tense silence, Harry asks, “What are you doing here?” Her voice sounds a little hoarse because she hasn’t really been doing a lot of talking these past few days.

Louis is biting on her lower lip, seeming like she’s thinking her next words through. She’s lingering by the door of Harry’s bedroom, probably for an easy escape if ever things don’t go the way she wants, and Harry just wants to tell her to leave.

She doesn’t, of course, because it’s Louis and she’s not only stupid but also very, _very_ weak when it comes to the older girl.

Eventually, Louis opens her mouth, but then she seems to decide against it because she shuts it again. She blinks once, slowly, and then she lifts her right hand which is—Harry’s just noticed—holding an object.

More specifically, holding a CD.

Harry sucks in a breath and is about to say something—she’s not even sure what she would’ve said, an excuse, probably, or a question as to where Louis found the CD—but then Louis is beating her to it, rushing out, “I thought you weren’t serious.”

At that, Harry blinks, brows furrowing. “What—what do you mean?”

Louis takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, as though bracing herself. She looks at Harry for a few seconds more, before she begins. “I thought you weren’t serious about me. When I looked you up, I saw a shit ton of articles that kept saying you were a player, that you got bored easily and that every single one of the people you’ve been rumored to have a relationship with were all just a passing fancy. I read that you didn’t commit or take relationships seriously, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with all that—frankly, I didn’t want to have anything to do with you.”

With every word that comes out of Louis’ mouth, it feels as though a knife is getting pushed just that tiny bit deeper into Harry’s chest. She feels moisture forming in her eyes, and she didn’t even think it possible to cry anymore because of how much tears she’s already spent these past few days, but here she is. She tries to blink them away furiously and opens her mouth to say something, anything that will stop Louis from saying more, but then the older girl is continuing what she has to say before Harry can even utter a single syllable.

“And it seemed true, what I’ve read, because god—you didn’t even bother introducing yourself to me before trying to get in my pants. You just—you just _assumed_ that I’d know who you are because you’re a teenage sensation or some shit, and I hated that. I really fucking hated it.”

Harry is crying now. Is this Louis’ intention with coming here, then? Just to tell Harry all these mean, horrible things? And the CD? Is Louis just going to rub it in, going to add insult to injury and tell Harry how fucking naïve she is, how wrong she is for thinking a song can change things, how she’s such a _child_?

Louis isn’t done talking, apparently, and Harry wants to yell at her, wants to tell her to stop. She can’t find her voice, though, and so she just keeps her head down to hide the fact that she’s crying and listens to Louis’ next words.

“But then—but then I saw you during the Little Mix concert, and you were just. You just tried so hard, you know? Even though I made it clear the first time that I’m not interested, you still tried. And I have no fucking idea why, but I found it endearing.”

At _that_ , Harry blinks. What?

“You just—you just seemed unsure of yourself, like some teenager with a crush. Which, I realized after a while, what you exactly were. Regardless of what the papers say about you, you’re still just a teenager, and I don’t know why I let myself forget that. And just—you kept on flirting with me, kept coming to our gigs and I was waiting for you to just stop, because I was just a passing fancy, right? You’ll realize that you don’t really want me if I kept on ignoring your advances, but you just kept on persisting. You were so stubborn, fuck.”

Harry finally allows herself to look up, and she sees that Louis has one hand running through her already-messy hair repeatedly, restlessly. She looks frustrated and confused and unsure, and Harry feels a tad bit better.

“And when I saw what you were writing when I found you on that bench by the park, I just thought that maybe I could give this a shot. And then we started hanging out and I like you, Harry, I like you a whole fucking lot, but I was stupid and I kept on thinking about what I’ve read about you, and I was wrong. I was fucking wrong, Harry, and I am so sorry.” Louis finally shuts her mouth, then, blue eyes staring at Harry.

Harry doesn’t know what to say to all that, really, doesn’t even know what to feel. She’s probably still crying, she’s not sure, and when the silence only stretches further and further, Louis’ shoulders slump. She has a somewhat defeated look on her face, and she lifts her hand slightly, the one holding the CD.

“I, uh, I ran after you that day. And I saw you drop this. I listened to it, and—I’m really sorry.” She waits for Harry to say something, but when no response comes she lets out a defeated sigh and places the CD down on the floor. She looks at Harry one more time, before she’s turning around, about to leave.

Harry doesn’t think, just blurts out, “Do you mean it?” She immediately bites down on her lower lip after.

Louis pauses, turns back around. “What? That I’m sorry?” She stares at Harry, probably trying to show her sincerity through her gaze. “I really do.”

Harry swallows the lump in her throat, feeling slightly dizzy and a lot confused about how she’s supposed to feel about all of this. “What about—what about everything else?”

Louis nods once. “Yeah—I mean, I really like you a lot, and I really feel like shit for even considering the possibility of what the papers say about you being true before I even got the chance to know you. I don’t mean what I said about not wanting to have anything to do with you, though, because fuck, Harry, I like you. I fucking like you. And that song?” Louis laughs, but there’s no humor behind it. It sounds a little hysterical, more than anything else. “God, when you sang it to me at the park I thought, sure, this kid’s writing a song that may or may not be about me. I didn’t really think much of it. But hearing what’s in the CD, hearing you actually go and turn it into a song and record it, I realized that I’ve been stupid all along.”

Harry’s pulse is racing, her heart beating too fast. She doesn’t let herself forgive Louis entirely, though, not yet, not until she gets one more thing clear. “What about Zayn, then?”

Louis laughs again, once, the same hysterical laugh from earlier. “Zayn is—she’s my best friend. That’s it. What you saw, well, it’s really hard to explain our relationship. We just work that way, I guess? We aren’t romantically involved or anything, we just really do that sometimes—or most times, I guess—when we’re not with someone else. And you and me weren’t—we aren’t anything yet, Harry.”

Harry nods once, slowly, not really agreeing to anything. “And if—and if we were?”

“Then I’d stop doing things with Zayn, in a heartbeat. It’s happened before, when she had a boyfriend. We never did anything for the entire seven months that she’d been in a relationship,” Louis says honestly.

“What are you two, then?” Harry can’t help but ask. “Friends with benefits?”

Louis shakes her head and grins a little, still a bit unsure. “I don’t really—no, because friends with benefits are rarely actual friends and more likely to be just fuck buddies, yeah? Zayn—she’s like a sister to me, I guess? Like, minus the sexual aspect of our relationship, she’s just really my best friend, first and foremost. I care about her a lot and she cares about me a lot, as well. We love each other, but we’re not in love.”

Harry looks down. “What did you plan on achieving, then, coming here?”

There’s a few seconds of silence, and then Louis is saying, voice quiet, “I just—wanted to apologize, I guess. And maybe ask for a chance?”

Harry counts up to five in her head before she lifts her gaze. She isn’t sure what she’s supposed to feel, isn’t even sure what she’s feeling right now. Her heart is still beating too fast, though, her blood thrumming through her veins, and it’d be so, so easy to say yes. But there’s a part of her, a part of her that still feels hurt and betrayed, that makes it harder for her.

But looking at Louis right now and seeing the circles underneath her eyes, as though she hasn’t been sleeping properly recently, and the way she’s holding herself, unsure and guilty—Harry realizes that the older girl’s also been having a hard time.

It takes a few more moments, and then Harry is saying, voice quiet, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Louis asks, sounding a bit breathless, and Harry nods.

And then all of a sudden, Louis is walking towards Harry. Harry just watches as the older girl hesitates for all of a second, before sitting down on the bed in front of Harry. Louis lifts a hand and gently places it on Harry’s cheek, which flushes underneath her touch. Slowly, making sure that it’s okay, Louis leans forward, blue gaze flicking from Harry’s lips to Harry’s eyes and back, and Harry is having a little bit of trouble breathing. She closes her eyes just as Louis’ lips are merely an inch away from hers, and she gasps a little once she finally feels Louis’ mouth against her own.

She lets herself feel everything—feel the gentle brush of Louis’ thumb underneath her eye, wiping away the remaining tears; feel Louis’ other hand settle lightly on her waist, fingertips pressing lightly into her clothed skin; feel Louis’ mouth press a little harder against hers, tongue darting out to swipe against her bottom lip. She lets her lips part underneath the pressure, Louis’ tongue sliding slickly into her mouth and tangling with hers. She can feel her face heating up a little more when a whine sounds from her throat, and Louis just swallows the little sounds that she makes.

Eventually, they end up falling back against the sheets, Louis’ body a solid warmth on top of Harry’s. Louis pulls away from Harry’s lips and trails kisses down the side of Harry’s neck, pausing at her pulse point and sucking lightly. Harry gasps, tangles her fingers into Louis’ hair and pulls. The ponytail holding Louis’ hair up snaps, causing the older girl’s hair to fall down around her face, and Harry is able to run her fingers through the caramel strands more freely. She spreads her legs a little, letting Louis slip in between them more comfortably, and she feels the older girl’s hands running down her sides until they reach the edge of her shirt.

“May I?” Louis murmurs against the mark that she’s sucked onto Harry’s neck, brushing a light kiss against the bruised skin. Harry manages to breathe out a ‘yes’ and then Louis is pulling back, quickly lifting the younger girl’s shirt over her head.

Harry blushes because she suddenly remembers that she isn’t wearing a bra—she rarely does when at home—and she moves to cover her chest with her arms, but then Louis is holding her wrists, preventing them from moving. She leans down and brushes her mouth against Harry’s collarbones, tells her that it’s okay, that she looks beautiful. Harry only blushes even more and lets Louis’ hands trail down her sides, fingers slotting in between the spaces of Harry’s ribs.

Louis also loses her shirt after a moment, and Harry reaches around the older girl and unclasps her bra. Harry’s lips find Louis’ again and she arches her back, presses her chest against Louis. It feels hot, all of a sudden, like her skin is on fire, as though Louis’ hands are leaving a scorching trail as it roams her body. Louis seems to be everywhere all at once, and Harry is overwhelmed with it all, yet at the same time she can’t get enough, needs to be closer.

“Ssh, I’ll take care of you,” Louis murmurs soothingly, breath warm against Harry’s ear.

It’s later—Harry isn’t sure whether it’s been ten minutes or thirty or even an hour—when Louis’ got two fingers twisting gently inside of her, mouth leaving more marks against her collarbones, that Harry finally lets herself go fully. She feels Louis’ fingers slip out of her, and then the older girl is pulling her legs up, spreading them apart a bit more. Harry wraps her legs around Louis’ waist, moaning high and pretty in her throat when she feels Louis press her hips down against her own.

Harry can feel herself hurtling towards the edge, Louis’ voice constantly whispering encouragements into her ear. Harry isn’t even sure what Louis is saying, isn’t even sure what Louis is doing to her anymore because everything feels like a pleasant haze, the sensations blurring into one. She thinks she can feel one of Louis’ hands trailing down her stomach, slipping in between them and reaching lower, but she’s too preoccupied by the mantra of _LouisLouisLouis_ inside her head to think too much about it.

In the end, it takes three fingers delivering one hard thrust into her along with a thumb rubbing firmly against her clit, and Harry’s gone. She clenches down on Louis’ digits, still moving inside of her slightly, and it’s only when her thighs begin twitching does Louis let up, pulling out of her and kissing her softly on the mouth. Harry’s body feels like it’s thrumming pleasantly, and she smiles a small smile at Louis as the older girl hovers above her, lips brushing against her sweaty face.

Harry must have dozed off for a bit after that, because the next thing she registers is Louis’ arms wrapped comfortingly around her waist from behind. She moves further into the solid warmth behind her, and she feels the hold around her tighten, making her smile before she lets her eyes drift shut.

-

One Direction finishes recording their album seven months later.

Louis and Harry have also been steadily dating for those entire seven months, and counting.

-

_@Real_Liam_Payne: Single out! ‘Something Great’ featuring @zaynmalik and @Louis_Tomlinson of Towerline. Hope you guys like it. :)_

_@NiallOfficial: It was great working with the girls of Towerline, @zaynmalik and @Louis_Tomlinson, haha. ‘Something Great’ out now!_

_@Harry_Styles: @Louis_Tomlinson glad to have worked with you on this song sweets ;) xx_

_@zaynmalik: @Real_Liam_Payne @NiallOfficial you babes are great aha xx ;)_

_@Louis_Tomlinson: @Real_Liam_Payne @NiallOfficial lovely experience working with you :)_

_@zaynmalik: wow i feel the love @Harry_Styles gee thanks_

_@Harry_Styles: @zaynmalik oh yeah right. soooooz x_

_@zaynmalik: @Harry_Styles you did that on purpose :(_

_@Louis_Tomlinson: @zaynmalik you’re just jealous that @Harry_Styles loves me more_

_@Harry_Styles: @Louis_Tomlinson @zaynmalik can’t argue with that ;) xx_

_@Real_Liam_Payne: @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson Reminder that this is a public site girls._

_@zaynmalik: @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson i feel so wounded_

_@NiallOfficial: @Harry_Styles @Louis_Tomlinson Get a room!_

-

They come out the day the music video for _Something Great_ gets posted on One Direction’s YouTube VEVO account. They do it through the video, with Harry being all “ _I want you here with me_ ” to Louis and Louis singing “ _You’re all I want, so much it’s hurting_ ” to Harry.

-

Harry and Louis’ relationship expectedly becomes a very hot topic, it’s all people seem to talk about. They’re constantly on E! News and articles are being written about them almost everyday, and it’s only when Harry and Louis get interrupted late at night with a phone call do the two agree on one interview with E!

The phone’s loud and obnoxious, and Harry tries to clear her mind enough to check who the caller is. It’s hard, though, when Louis’ moving in between her thighs, the older girl’s mouth doing wonders on her. She moves her hips to try and get Louis to back off for a moment, but that only succeeds in Louis’ tongue sliding more firmly up against her.

“Fuck, Lou, phone,” Harry manages to get out, moving her hand to Louis’ head with the intention of pushing her off. Of course, Harry only ends up tangling her fingers against caramel strands, and it’s not after a few more insistent strokes of Louis’ tongue does the older girl finally move away, pressing a soft kiss against Harry’s thigh. “Thank you,” Harry breathes out, chest heaving, and she takes a second to compose herself enough to answer the phone. “Hello?”

It’s one of their managers, telling her that E! called again, asking for an exclusive interview. Harry sighs and slumps back against the pillows, trying to ignore the way Louis’ fingertips are tracing patterns against her stomach.

“Who’s that?” Louis asks, brushing a kiss against Harry’s thigh and making it twitch slightly.

“Tom. He said E! wants an interview with us,” Harry says, sighing as the person on the other end of the line goes on and on about how Harry should feel grateful that they allowed her and Louis to come out without much trouble, and the least they can do in return is indulge the public with one interview. “One interview?” she asks once Tom pauses for breath. “If we say yes with this one then surely more interview demands will follow afterwards!”

Harry kinda tunes out what Tom says next because Louis is looking up at her heatedly from between her legs. She watches as the older girl licks her lips slowly before leaning down and closing her lips around Harry’s clit. Harry gasps loudly at the action, and Tom pauses on the other end of the line for a moment. Harry barely hears his exasperated _“You two are having sex right now, aren’t you?”_ because Louis’ teasingly rubbing a finger up and down her slit, before slowly slipping it into her.

Then, like the little shit that she is, Louis loudly says, “If we say yes to that dumb interview can I go back to eating my girlfriend out?”

There’s a three-second pause in which Tom doesn’t say anything, Louis smirks, and Harry blushes furiously. After the three-second pause, Tom says “ _Yes_ ” and then Harry is rushing out, “Fine we’ll do the goddamn interview, text me the details later.” She hangs up and groans, partly in embarrassment and partly because Louis’ got a finger inside her, and then the older girl is laughing, moving up and pressing a kiss against her mouth.

“I hate you, god,” Harry mutters.

Louis just laughs in response before going down on her.

-

The interview goes better than Harry expected. The interviewer is a nice middle-aged woman and she kisses both of their cheeks when they come in. The questions are also easy enough, the expected “for how long have you two been dating” and “how did this all start.”

What Harry isn’t expecting, though, is to be asked about their single.

“So, Harry,” the interviewer begins, smiling at them both. Harry feels Louis’ hand lazily running up and down the side of her arm, their thighs pressed together, and she leans a little more towards the older girl so that they’re as close as national television allows. “We’ve been informed that _Something Great_ was your idea, and that you wrote most of it. Can you tell us where your inspiration for this song came from?”

Harry blushes lightly, and she hears Louis chuckle. She tries to glare at the older girl, but judging by the amused look on Louis’ face it’s not as intimidating as Harry would like it to be, probably not at all. She not-so-subtly nudges Louis with her elbow before she turns back to the interviewer. “Um, well—uh, the idea for _Something Great_ came to me when, uh, um—”

“When she failed to get my number a dozen times,” Louis chirps in, her voice high and bright and teasing.

“That’s not it!” Harry protests, pushing Louis slightly away from her, a pout on her lips. Louis just laughs and moves back in, wrapping her arms around Harry and snuggling her in.

“Aww, no need to be embarrassed, babe.”

The interviewer laughs while Harry squirms a little. Louis presses a light kiss against her temple and murmurs soothingly into her ear, and then Harry is facing the interviewer again, face slightly less red. “Uh, the truth is the idea for _Something Great_ came to me because I found myself in a situation I was unfamiliar with—”

“Which was failing to get someone’s number.”

“— _and_ I just found myself coming up with some lyrics. After consulting with our producers and songwriters, and asking for a bit of help from Louis”—she glances at the older girl and smiles fondly—“the song came to life.”

“So Louis helped with writing _Something Great_?”

“Just a tiny bit,” Louis answers, returning Harry’s fond smile. “I found Harry here alone in the park and decided to approach her. It just so happened that she was having trouble with a few lines of the song and I helped her sort it out.” She then turns to face the interviewer, fond smile turning cheeky. “And also I finally gave her my number.”

The interviewer laughs at that, and it takes a moment before she asks her next question, “I see. But in the album version of the song Towerline wasn’t featured. What made you guys come to the decision to collaborate the single version?”

At that, Harry smiles a little and glances at Louis again, before saying, “I just—we just wanted to let people know about us, I guess? Actually, Niall suggested that we do it, and then Liam called Zayn and Louis. They came over to the studio two days after the call and we tried re-recording the entire song after one of our songwriter’s reassigned parts to us. When we listened to it after, we just knew that it was going to be great.”

“And great it is,” the interviewer says with a smile, and then she’s thanking Harry and Louis, telling them how lovely they are and kissing their cheeks again.

When they get back to the car, Louis pulls Harry into a hug and doesn’t let go till they get back to their flat, the one they moved in together two months ago.

-

Two years later, One Direction and Towerline release a collab album called _Strong_.

The five girls announce in a press conference about the collab tour that they’ll be going on in six months’ time, standing on a small platform in front of dozens of journalists and flashing lights, their arms around each other.

And Harry thinks—as Zayn tells the audience how honored she is to be working on something this big with her close friends, as Liam agrees with Zayn eagerly, as Niall brightly tells everyone how excited she is for this tour, and as Louis squeezes Harry’s hand wrapped around her own—Harry thinks, this is the life she wants. This is more than just something great, because for the last two years these girls have been her life. This is something beautiful, and she’s pretty sure nothing can ruin the happiness she’s feeling.

Standing there, with the arms of her girl friends a comforting weight around her shoulders, and with Louis’ fingers firmly entwined with her own, Harry definitely feels strong.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: black-and-scarlet
> 
> talk to me i am a lonely little clam


End file.
